Concert party DPR/TV/1300

Fresh back from their first operation in South Vietnam soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, this week relaxed at Nui Dat with entertainment by a Sydney concert party. There were no elaborate stage or theatre props but after several weeks operating against the Viet Cong in Phuoc Tuy province, the Diggers thought the concert as good as any top line production in Australia. The eight-artist show will perform for Australian and American troops at bases throughout South Vietnam, including Nui Dat, Vung Tau, Saigon, Phan Rang and Bearcat. Leader of the show is Johnny Holmes, with vocalists Sammy Woods and Chris Martin, wire walkers and jugglers Jimmy and Bambi, organist Ted Preston, drummer Graham Quy and guitarist Neil Yeoman. The concert party is sponsored by the Australian Forces Overseas Fund. Also identified: Private Kerard Thomas of Rockhampton, Qld; Private Doug Hyde of Toongabbie, NSW.